Machine for treating hides, skins, and leather.



D. P. O'BRIEN.

- MACHINE FOR TREATING HIDES, SKINS, AND LEATHER.

APPLICATION FILED 001- 31, 1910 Patented Apr. 11, 191 1.

DANIEL P. OBRIEN, 0F WOBURN, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR TREATING HIDES, SKINS, AND LEATHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 11, 1911.

Application filed October 31, 1910. Serial No. 589,839.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL P. OBRIEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at 70- burn, in the county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Machines for Treating I-Iides, Skins, and Leather, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention has relation, more particularly, to machines of the class in which a rotating bed-roll is combined with a cooperating feed-roll and with a work-roll having helical blades, with the bed-roll movably mounted to permit it to be moved away from the other rolls into a position in which a hide, skin, or side may be thrown over it, and to be then moved up into working relations with the work-roll and feed-roll so as to present the hide, skin, or side to the action of the said work-roll, and so that by the conjoint rotation of the bed-roll and feedroll the hide, skin, or side may be fed past the work-roll and out from between the bedroll and feed-roll.

The invention consists in the combination with the said elements of yieldingly-presscd non-rotating inclined blades located in the space or angle between the work-roll and the feed-roll, and against which the intermediate portion of the hide, skin, or side is pressed by the bed-roll. The inclined blades diverge from the middle of the length of the machine toward the opposite ends of the latter, and through their engagement with the hide, skin, or side as it passes them on the way from the work-roll to the feed-roll, they smooth it and spread it transversely.

The invention is illustrated in the drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a portion of a machine of the class aforesaid, with an embodiment of the invention applied thereto, the work-roll being omitted. Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section in the plane of the dotted line 2,2, of Fig. 1, showing the work-roll. Fig. 3 is a back View of a portion of the bar carrying the inclined blades. Fig. 4 is a face view of such portion, showing the said blades. Fig. 5 is a back view of portions of the stand for the said bar.

Having reference to the drawings,-a portion of one side-frame or end-frame of the machine is shown at 1 in Figs. 1 and 2, and 2 is a guideway therein for one of the movable bearings of the bed-roll. The bed-roll is marked 3, and the work-roll is designated 4, the feed-roll being shown at 5.

As machines of the general class of that partly shown in the drawings are wellknown and are in extensive use, a detailed description of the construction and mode of operation is unnecessary.

Referring now more particularly to the parts which are involved in the invention, a bar 6 is shown occupying the space or angle at the upper side of the bed-roll between the work-roll and the feed-roll. This bar carries a series of blades 7, 7, etc., projecting therefrom toward the bed-roll. Certain of such blades incline obliquely in one direction from the middle of the length of the bedroll toward one end of the machine, and the remainder thereof incline obliquely in an opposite direction from the said middle toward the other end of the machine. In practice I have employed brass blades. The edges of the blades are curved to suit the contour of the bed-roll. The bar is mounted with capacity for movement toward and from the bed-roll, and is spring-pressed toward the latter. Thereby the working edges of the blades are caused to act against a hide, skin, or side supported by the bed-roll and traveling with the latter past the workroll toward the feed-roll on its way out between the bed-roll and feed-roll. In this instance the bar is supported in connection with the framework of the machine by means of long studs 8, 8, etc., fixed to the bar and projecting from its back, and guidesleeves, one of which is shown at 9, Fig. 2, through which the studs pass and within which they fit with capacity to slide lengthwise. The guide-sleeves 9 are contained inside bosses 10, 10, rising from a supportingplate 11 that is attached to the machineframing.

Expanding helical springs, one of which is shown at 12 in Fig. 2, surrounding the respective studs 8, 8, and compressed between the back of the bar 6 and the lower ends of the guide-sleeves, act with a tendency to press the bar and blades toward the bed-roll. Provision is made for varying the tension of the springs, to thereby vary and regulate the degree of the pressure of the blades against the hide, skin, or side, and the effects produced. This provision, in the present instance is in the shape of means to adjust the guide-sleeves lengthwise. The said guidesleeves are mounted in the bosses 10, 10, with capacity for endwise shift therein. Their lower ends are externally screw-threaded and are engaged with internally threaded collars or nut 13, 13 working in slots in the bosses. The walls of such slots prevent movement of the said nuts 13, 13, in the direction of the length of the guide-sleeves and studs, but the nuts are free to turn therein. By rotation of the nuts the guide-sleeves may be shifted lengthwise in the direction required to secure the required tension of the springs 12. To limit the extent of the inward movement of the bar and blades, and prevent them from moving too far inward when the bed-roll is opened away from the other rolls and the said blades, a stop-collar lt is applied to the outer end of each stud. This stop-collar may be arranged to strike against the outer end of the corresponding boss, or the outer end of the guide-sleeve. In the present instance I have shown a plate or washer 15 applied to the projecting portion of the stud, below the stop-collar 14, and resting upon the outer end of the boss. If the guide-sleeve be adjusted farther upward than in Fig. 2, the said plate or washer will rest against the outer end of the guidesleeve. The stop-collar is connected with the stud by screw-threading the outer portion of the latter, and forming the stop-collar as a nut and screwing it to the desired position upon the stud. A lock-nut 16 is shown screwed upon the stud and engaging with the stop-collar to prevent loss of adjust ment of the latter.

The supporting-plate 11 may be attached in any convenient manner to the machineframing. Herein the said plate is shown attached to the side-frames of the machine by means of bolts 17, 17, passing through slots 18, 18, in vertical end-flanges of the plate. To permit the plate and parts carried thereby to be adjusted into the required position with reference to the bed-roll, work-roll, and feed-roll, the said slots are elongated and are formed on opposite curves, thus enabling the plate, etc., to be shifted in and out bodily with relation to the machine-framing, and also to be rocked or tilted bodily more or less. At 19, Fig. 1, is an adjusting screw in connection with the supporting-plate, for use in setting the parts in the required positions.

The stationary inclined blades act upon the hide, skin, or side while it is tightly and smoothly stretched over the surface of the bed-roll and being carried forward by the rotation of the bed-roll, assisted by the feedingaction of the bed-roll and feed-roll cooperating together, and while the hide, skin or side at the same time is held or drawn back by the working action of the blades of the work-roll. The stationary blades act to spread the hide, skin or side laterally with relation to the line of feed. When used in a machine employed for putting-out purposes they give the hide, skin, or side a smoothing effect after it has been put-out by the work-roll. They flatten down unevennesses, giving the grain side of the hide, skin, or side a smooth finish. Not only is the hide, skin, or side rendered smoother than in a putting-out machine unequipped with the inclined blades, but extra measurement is gained on account of the spreading or stretching of the hide, skin or side through the action of the blades. The blades may be employed in a machine used for unhairing, in which case they will work out the fine hair and the dirt, lime, and impurities which are left in by the work-roll. Thereby the hand operation to which it has been customary heretofore to subject a hide, skin, or side for the removal of the short hairs which the unhairing machine has failed to remove, and for the purpose of working out lime, dirt and other impurities is rendered unnecessary.

I claim as my invention 1. In a machine for treating hides, skins, and leather, the combination with a bed-roll, a work-roll, and a feed-roll, of oppositelyinclined blades which act upon the hide, skin, or side supported by the bed-roll in the space or interval between the work-roll and the feed-roll.

2. In a machine for treating hides, skins, and leather, the combination with a bed-roll, a work-roll, and a feed-roll, of yieldinglyactuated oppositely-inclined blades which act upon the hide, skin, or side supported by the bed-roll in the space or interval between the work-roll and the feed-roll.

3. In a machine for treating hides, skins, and leather, the combination with a bed-roll, a work-roll, and a feed-roll, of a springpressed bar located in the angle or space be tween the Work-roll and the feed-roll, and oppositely inclined or diverging blades car'- ried by the said bar and arranged to press against the portion of hide, skin, or side which is supported by the bed-roll between the work-roll and the bed-roll.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL I OBRIEN.

Witnesses NATHAN B. DAY, GHAs. F. RANDALL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, I). C. 

